Additional information requested and received from the Kalka Railway () State Party: ICOMOS sent a letter to the State Party on 10 December 2007 on the following points:

No 944 ter - The submission of an itemised list of the nominated stations and buildings.

- The submission of a map for each station or building, Official name as proposed indicating the boundaries of the core zone and the buffer by the State Party: Kalka Shimla Railway zone associated with the properties.

Location: States of The State Party sent additional documentation on 4 ( District) and February 2008. (Solan and Shimla Districts) Date of ICOMOS approval of this report: 11 March 2008

Brief description: 2. THE PROPERTY The Kalka Shimla Railway (KSR) is a hill passenger railway with a single narrow-gauge track 96.6 km long. Description Its construction was planned in the mid-19th century to provide a service to the highland town of Shimla, at an The Kalka Shimla Railway has a single narrow-gauge altitude of more than 2,000 metres, which at the time was track (gauge 0.762 m). The total line length is 96.60 km. the summer residence of the colonial government. Its The gradient does not exceed 30/1000. It runs from the construction, in a particularly difficult mountain town of Kalka, at an altitude of 656 m, from which point environment for two-thirds of the line's length, required a it extends the standard gauge Indian railway network great deal of engineering design work, and was finally towards the Himalayan mountains. It currently carries completed at the turn of the century (1899-1903). seven passenger services daily. Regular service is provided by diesel trains and rail-motor cars. There is one Category of property: heritage steam locomotive that was recently restored and is available for charter use for tourists. In terms of the categories of cultural property set out in Article 1 of the 1972 World Heritage Convention, it is a The line then rises to an intermediate plateau at an site. altitude of around 1,500 m, where it serves several stations, and then it climbs to the terminus town of Shimla, capital of the state of Himachal Pradesh, at an 1. BASIC DATA altitude of 2,075 m.

Included in the Tentative List: 23 December 2004 The line has 988 bridges and viaducts, which represent 3% of total line length. The largest bridges have multi- International Assistance from the World Heritage Fund arch masonry galleries (74), sometimes in several levels, for preparing the Nomination: None like Roman aqueducts.

Date received by The line has 917 curves, representing some 70% of total the World Heritage Centre: 25 January 2007. length. Most of these are sharp curves all along the line, and continue even in tunnels and bridges. Background: This is a proposal for the serial extension of the Mountain Railways of India, consisting at present of The line initially had 107 tunnels. As a result of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, inscribed on the landslides, this number has been reduced to 102. The World Heritage List at the 23rd session of the World total length of the tunnels represents 8% of the line's Heritage Committee (Marrakech, 1999), and the Nilgiri length. There are a large number of masonry retaining Mountain Railway, inscribed at the 29th session of the walls. World Heritage Committee (Durban, 2005). In territorial terms, the line passes through three districts Consultations: ICOMOS consulted TICCIH. in two Indian states:

Literature consulted (selection): - Section (i): from Kalka station to just before Taksal (km 3.7), in , state of Haryana. Coulls, A., Railways as World Heritage Sites, ICOMOS Thematic Study, Paris, 1999. - Section (ii): from Taksal to near Kathlee Ghat (km 74.2), in , state of Himachal Pradesh. Scott, A., World Heritage Railways, Madrid, UNESCO, 2001. - Section (iii): from Kathlee Ghat to the end of the line at Bhandari, R. R., Kalka Shimla Railway, 2003. Shimla station (km 96.6), in , state of Himachal Pradesh. Technical Evaluation Mission: 11-16 September 2007

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From a geographical viewpoint, the line can be clearly - The Wood Bank Officers rest house in Shimla, built in divided into three parts: 1920, less than 200 metres from Shimla station. This is another typical house, still under the control of the KSR - The first part covers the first stage of the rise from and very well conserved both in its architecture and Kalka to KumarHatti (1,579 m). interior appointments. It is also considered to be one of the most outstanding examples of this type in India. This part has the following notable features:

- two tunnels (no. 10, Koti and no. 22, Dharampur); History and development - a bridge (no. 226, Forest of Chir) that has 32 arches on four levels, with a length of 97 m and a The British began to move into this region of India in maximum height of 19.4 m; around 1820, and the first railway projects were - shortly before reaching the end of the upward particularly early, in the 1840s. However the broad gradient, the line turns through a complete spiral, at gauges then used (1.67 m) were basically incompatible Sonwara (1,334 m). with any idea of providing rail transport to the hill regions. - The second part is horizontal or has a slightly negative gradient, at an altitude of around 1,500 m, as far as The Shimla region took on considerable political Kanda Ghat (1,433 m). importance as the Indian colonial government decided to take up summer residence there, because of the healthier - This part has a large tunnel (no. 33, Barog). climate linked to the altitude. The question of transport to the Himalayan foothills, the Delhi region and the Ganges - The third part consists of the final climb. plain then became crucial. The possibility of a rail link was mentioned as early as 1847. The opening of the It includes: Grand Hindostan and Tibet Route was however the first major advance in this field. It was operational in this - two significant tunnels (no. 91, Taradevi and no. region in 1856. 103, Invernam). - two relatively large bridges: curve bridge no. 493 The first engineering development work was carried out that has 15 arches on three levels, with a length of in 1884-85, to establish a steam traction "adhesion line" 36 m and a maximum height of 16.40 m; curve with a gradient not exceeding 30/1000 (1/33), using the bridge no. 541 that has 34 arches on four levels, narrow gauge principle. The project was submitted to the with a length of 53 m and a maximum height of government but was not immediately taken up. 23 m. Development work was revived by the arrival of the The nominated property also includes the set of 21 Delhi railway line at Kalka, in 1891. Other shorter railway stations of the line, some of which have annexes: layouts and other technical solutions were then 1) Kalka (plus 1 bungalow), 2) Taksal, 3) Gumman, 4) considered by the engineers, such as the rack system. Koti, 5) Jabli, 6) Sonwara, 7) Dharampur Himachal, 8) Finally a contract was signed between the government Kumarhatti Dagshahi, 9) Barog, 10) Solan, 11) Solan and the Ambala-Kalka Railway, for the construction and Brewery, 12) Solagra (plus one rest house), 13) operation of an adhesion line with a gauge of 2 feet. The Kandaghat, 14) Kanoh, 15) Kathleeghat, 16) Shogi, 17) final general design project was presented and approved Taradevi, 18) Jutogh, 19) Summer Hill, 20) Shimla (plus in 1899. It comprised the technical development work, two rest houses), 21 Shimla Bazar. the costing and the rolling stock. The Railway had to meet the cost of construction on its own; only the land Only the built ensemble of Shimla station is described: was provided by the public authorities.

- The terminus station of Shimla, at an altitude of The work was begun, but at the request of the Army, the 2,075 m, in the setting of the Forest of Deodar. It was initial 2 foot gauge was increased to 2 feet 6 inches. The built in 1903 by the railway company. Originally the rails were in laminated steel, and were laid on wooden architecture was of wood, with galvanised sheet roofing, sleepers and ballast. illustrating the typical Indian hill station in the early 20th century. It was however rebuilt in 1921 and considerably Traffic opened to the public on 9 November 1903. But extended because of the growth in traffic and resulting exceptionally heavy snowfall damaged the track on 26 technical constraints. In 1944, excessively heavy December of the same year, causing a large number of snowfall caused the platform roof to collapse. landslides. Difficult operating conditions were thus added to the high cost of initial establishment, and despite the - The Crow Borough Officers rest house in Shimla. This high fares the Railway experienced serious financial two-storey building was constructed in 1921, just next to difficulties. Its strategic importance led the government the terminus station, for the engineers and officials of the to acquire the line on 1st January 1905. KSR. It is in a belvedere position in a forested site, and commands a remarkable panorama towards the valleys to The first steam locomotives were 4-wheeled engines the south. It is one of the most charming mountain rest (1900), and these were followed by 6-wheeled (1902) and houses in India, with its architectural style and its interior finally 10-wheeled engines. They were made by Stewart equipment both preserved. & Co of Glasgow. The locomotive models were derived from those used on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.

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This rolling stock remained in service until 1953 with no the difficulty of the challenge of developing this type of major modifications. project in such difficult mountain territory. The often experimental nature of the techniques used, both in The locomotives were then modified by the German construction and in traction, are another key feature of company Henschel: increase in water and coal capacities, the challenge. modification of the grate, modification of the valve gear. The modified steam locomotives began to be scrapped in The Kalka Shimla Railway led to a long series of the 1970s, and the last ones remained in service until technology transfers from Europe (Great Britain, 1980. They were replaced by diesel engines from 1952 Germany) to the Indian subcontinent. onwards. One of the steam locomotives initially delivered It has been used uninterruptedly for more than a century, in 1905 (KC 520) has been restored by KSR, in 2001, in with a high degree of continuity in use, serving the order to re-establish the tradition of steam traction in the people who live in the mountains and tourists. mountains, which today has been almost completely forgotten. 3. OUTSTANDING UNIVERSAL VALUE, The carriages were built by the Railway itself from 1903 INTEGRITY AND AUTHENTICITY onwards. The first were very simple 4-wheeled carriages, light and short (17 feet). In 1910 new carriages were Integrity and authenticity introduced using steel under-frames and bogies, thereby reducing the number of derailments. The KSR initially Integrity had 4 travel classes. Furthermore, extremely luxurious saloon cars could be rented. The second car of this type, - Structural integrity: the general infrastructure of the line built in 1912 (RA-2), has been conserved and restored. is today very close to the characteristics of the line as it Subsequent passenger carriages were made lighter and was in 1903. protected against the effects of corrosion by the use of aluminium. - Functional integrity: the line has been systematically repaired and maintained in a spirit in keeping with that of In 1911, petrol-driven Rail Motor Cars were introduced its construction, maintaining continuous use and with no on the line to carry mail. They were made by the notable interruption of traffic. Drewery Car Co. Ltd. in London, and were equipped with White & Poppe 17 HP engines. Car no. 12 of this - Integrity of use: from the outset the line has been used type is preserved in the National Rail Museum, New for large-scale and permanent transport, with all the Delhi. Diesel-electric motor cars were introduced from characteristics associated with railway disenclavement of 1932, with large windows to give panoramic views of the mountain areas. Traffic has been regular and continuous magnificent Himalayan mountain scenery. One of these up to the present day, and it provides the whole range of cars (no. 8) is known as the "Queen of Shivalik". With initial services, particularly for passengers and tourists. this type of car, the total journey time was reduced to 4½ hours, which is still the same today. ICOMOS considers that the nominated property is in a Generally speaking, the KSR has always attempted to general condition with regard to infrastructure, technical improve its rolling stock, both in terms of technical operation and social use that enables it to adequately performance and passenger comfort. express its values.

In 1947, following Indian independence, the offices of Authenticity the Railway Board (which followed the colonial government to its place of summer residence) left Shimla The track has been relaid and retaining walls rebuilt at and were set up permanently in Delhi. The regional many points during the highly eventful history of the management headquarters, which still today manages the railway's operation, regularly disturbed by snowfall and Kalka Shimla Railway, was set up in Ambala, where it monsoon rain, landslides and rockfalls. This has led to has remained ever since. the disappearance of some tunnels, which have been transformed into cuttings. Kalka Shimla Railway values A single masonry multi-arch bridge, 20 metres long, was The Kalka Shimla Railway is a very long-established and replaced in 1935 by a metallic girder bridge (structure no. ambitious mountain railway project. It required a great 272). The others have remained in their original form, deal of engineering development work, and took twenty with their extremely massive masonry design featuring years to become a reality, largely because of the very large number of small arches, sometimes on several great difficulties at this location resulting from the levels (see 2 - Description). combination of the Himalayan mountains and climatic conditions. The terminus station of Shimla was first rebuilt and extended in 1921 (See 2 - Description). In 1986-87, a With the other Indian railways already inscribed on the station modernisation programme was carried out, with World Heritage List, this is one of the first adhesion the complete covering of the platforms, the rebuilding of railways to reach the end of its line at an altitude of more the platforms, a new passenger building and alterations to than 2,000 metres, and is some 100 km long. the former passenger buildings. Amongst the railway facilities the locomotive turntable has been preserved. The civil engineering structures demonstrate, both by their impressive number and their massive appearance,

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The other stations have generally remained in their Furthermore, in Europe, lines as old as the KSR either original form, while undergoing repair works and works have had their traffic interrupted, before being revived as to adapt to changing traffic levels. purely historical trains (Wales, France), or have been profoundly upgraded with the introduction of modern The two rest houses at Shimla station (no. 20), Crow trains and a resulting loss of authenticity (Austria, Borough RH and Wood Bank RH, are in a good state of Switzerland). The KSR has undergone much more authenticity, and are typical examples of early 20th limited and gradual technical transformations, respecting century Himalayan mountain chalet architecture. the original criteria of line use. The civil engineering infrastructure has remained virtually unchanged. The long continuity of use, over more than a hundred Furthermore, the service has been operated continuously years, is also an important factor strengthening the for more than a century, in contexts of use and service authenticity of the line. that have remained very close to those of the railway's inception. The rolling stock is old and has heritage value. Four of the original 4-wheeled carriages are still in use, and a The nomination file argues that the closest railway to the significant number of the bogie-type carriages of 1910. KSR in civil engineering terms is the Semmering railway The signalling system is still the same as in 1903. One of in Austria, which is already inscribed on the World the original steam locomotives was restored in 2001 and Heritage List. is used for tourist specials. ICOMOS considers that the KSR is one of the most ICOMOS considers that the conditions of integrity and authentic mountain disenclavement railways currently in authenticity have been met. service worldwide, with a very high degree of continuity of technical maintenance and economic and social use.

Comparative analysis ICOMOS does not however agree with all the arguments of the nomination file with regard to the international Amongst the five historic mountain railways of India, the comparative analysis, and particularly the comparison Kalka Shimla Railway (KSR) is third in chronological with the Semmering, a transalpine line that is very terms: the oldest is the Darjeeling, opened in 1889 different from the KSR, with a double standard-gauge (DHR), followed by the Nilgiri in 1899 (NMR). The track, and dating from a considerably older period. other two came into service shortly after the KSR: the Matheran Light Railway or MLR and the Kangra Valley The other comparable railways, particularly in Asia, are Railway or KVR. All these railways are today living not considered, for example the Yunnan Railway examples of mountain railways, constructed at the end of (Vietnam – China), designed at the same period in a the 19th century for the opening up of high valleys and similar colonial framework (French Indochina). It is quite plateaux at altitude. comparable with the KSR in terms of design, length and technical performance. Faced with severe geographical and climatic situations, they all include original technical solutions and Furthermore, the innovations of the KSR are relative as – innovations to adapt the railways to the specific nature of unlike the other Indian railways already inscribed on the their sites: World Heritage List – its layout design has been known in Continental Europe since the first experimental The DHR uses zigzags, with traction reversal and spirals. mountain railway lines. It follows the slopes of the sides The NMR was one of the first to use rack & pinion for of the Himalayan mountains, which explains the very such long trains so as to follow very steep inclines. The large number of viaducts and tunnels, of which only a KSR uses very heavy and complex engineering, few have a significant heritage interest, and the almost including multi-arch viaducts, tunnels, retaining walls permanent presence of curves in uphill gradients. The and a very large number of curves, in order to overcome very massive design of its viaducts to cross ravines is the climatic conditions of a mountainous region. The ambiguous in terms of technical innovation: this railways were constructed successively, using significant represents admittedly a determined adaptation to suit land and highly-diversified engineering work at a very early that is liable to landslides in the monsoon climate, but stage of railway development. also a technical regression into a very large number of small and overdimensioned arches. It has no great viaduct All are today fully operational with most of their original or tunnel to simplify the layout, which also partly features intact. The operation of these historic lines is explains its great length for the level difference achieved. very close to the way they were originally operated, particularly in terms of serving the needs of local ICOMOS considers however that the nominated property populations, and increasingly for tourist travel. All the significantly completes the two Indian railway lines of railways pass through quite remarkable landscapes. Darjeeling and Nilgiri that are already inscribed on the World Heritage List. In international terms, the KSR is unique in that contemporary narrow-gauge adhesion mountain lines are ICOMOS considers that the comparative analysis much shorter. They are roughly ten kilometres long, justifies consideration of the Kalka Shimla Railway for whereas the KSR is around 100 km long, with a total the World Heritage List, particularly as one of a series of level difference of around 1,500 m. railway lines for the early disenclavement of mountain areas of India.

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Justification of the Outstanding Universal Value ICOMOS considers that the Kalka Shimla Railway represents important culture and technology transfer, in The nominated property is considered by the State Party the colonial setting in which it was built, particularly to be of Outstanding Universal Value for the following through the eminently political function of the terminus reasons: town of Shimla. The railway then enabled substantial and lasting settlement, of which it has remained the main • The property is a living example of the railway vector up to the present day. engineering expertise of the 19th century. It was built to connect the erstwhile capital of the ICOMOS considers that this criterion has been justified. colonial empire in India to the Shivalik foothills and the Delhi region. Criterion (iv): be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or • It constitutes an exceptional mountain railway landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in line layout with almost 100 km of line, more than human history. 100 tunnels, a large number of viaducts with many arches on several levels, and more than 900 The State Party justifies this criterion on the grounds that sharp curves representing 70% of the total the KSR illustrates a significant stage in human history. It alignment. is a unique example of the creative genius of railway engineers at the start of the 20th century. At the time of • The railway line has led to significant social and its construction, it took several days, on horseback or on human development along the line, with around foot, in difficult conditions, to reach Shimla from the ten important settlements, including the terminus foothills of the . The introduction of the at Shimla, erstwhile summer capital of the railway reduced the journey time to less than half a day, colonial empire in India and, since independence, in excellent travelling conditions. the capital city of the state of Himachal Pradesh. The manner in which the Himalayan mountainside is • The property is one of the best preserved pierced by many viaducts, tunnels, sharp curves and steep mountain railways in India, and remains much as gradients is exceptional. it was at the time of its completion. In addition to its engineering infrastructure, it has retained its The train quickly became part of the way of life of local stations, signalling system and a rural inhabitants, and it is still so today. Many original facets environment and landscape that are virtually of the trains have been preserved, and they bear living unchanged. witness to the functions of mountain railways, as a stage of human history. The railway has become the symbolic Criteria under which inscription is proposed heritage of a whole region.

The extension is proposed for inscription on the basis of ICOMOS considers that the KSR is a very good cultural criteria (ii) and (iv), the same criteria for which illustration, as are the two railways already inscribed, of the two Indian railways have already been inscribed on how access is provided to the high valleys and plateaux the World Heritage List. of the mountains of India. It is emblematic of the technical and material efforts made by societies of the Criterion (ii): exhibit an important interchange of human time to disenclave mountain populations by means of the values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of railway. It is a living and well-maintained line. It is used the world, on developments in architecture or technology, in a spirit and for purposes that are the same as those of monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design. its inception.

This criterion is justified by the State Party on the ICOMOS considers that this criterion has been justified. grounds that the Kalka Shimla Railway is an important example of interchange of human values, as a colonial ICOMOS considers that the nominated property meets railway. It is part of that stage of globalisation that was criteria (ii) and (iv) and that Outstanding Universal Value characterised by colonial rule, and the domination of the has been demonstrated. peoples of Asia, Africa and the Pacific by Europeans. This is particularly true here as the railway linked the summer capital of Britain's Indian colonial empire to the rest of the country. 4. FACTORS AFFECTING THE PROPERTY

It was the starting point for important human settlement Pressure from economic and social development that would not have been possible without the very arduous task of building the railway in a very difficult The historic Indian mountain railways serve significant geographic environment. human communities with ancient rural activities. This is particularly true in the case of the KSR, whose traffic has The regular use of the railway, which required an developed in a way that is directly linked to and in extraordinary degree of technical skill, then enabled the harmony with the needs of these communities. social and cultural development of this region of the Himalayas. The town of Shimla in particular underwent There are however fears of encroachment by local very rapid growth, while still being reminiscent of its inhabitants on land close to the line. former function as the colonial summer capital.

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The Zonal Railway plan is the responsibility of the Earthquakes Divisional Rail Manager and the Senior Divisional Engineer. The latter has been given the powers of a The KSR zone, situated on the mountainside of the public officer to enforce the law, and in particular the Himalayas, is an earthquake risk zone. If an event took Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized occupants) place that caused an impact remaining in the perimeter of Law of 1971. landslides and localised damage to the track, this would be dealt with in the same way as exceptional climatic and ICOMOS considers that illicit human encroachment close geological events affecting the line were dealt with in the to the railway is a factor that could affect the property. past.

Pollution Risk preparedness

The property is situated in mountainous terrain where The professional personnel of the KSR, and the technical occupations are rural in nature. It is claimed that it is assistance departments of Indian Railways, are fully relatively free from pollution problems. operational, and are well prepared for climatic and geological risks. Over a century of operation, they have Geographic conditions and impact of climate change always managed to restore the integrity of the line.

The rainy season is particularly intense in the KSR zone, They generally intervene within a short lead time, which but variations are considerable depending on the year contributes to the monitoring of the state of conservation (precipitation varies from 2.5 m to 4 m). This is of the property. The preventive actions undertaken over confirmed by the statistics presented in the file for the the last few years can only improve the present situation, last ten years. This has however always been the case assuming that climatic and geological data remain from the railway's inception, and the design of the line constant. reflects this fact. Indian Railways have been officially entrusted with the Snowfall mainly affects the last geographical section of mission to conserve and preserve the five Indian the line from mid-December to end-January. In mountain railway lines as heritage for posterity. exceptional cases, snowfall can be very abundant, up to 4 metres, resulting in the service being shut down and ICOMOS considers that the main threats to the property damage to the railway facilities, structures and buildings. are: The Company has appropriate snowplough rolling stock, - climatic and geological risks, which however have and interruptions to traffic are brief in normal conditions always formed part of the everyday operation of the of precipitation. Kalka Shimla Railway. - the risks of unauthorised encroachment close to the The issue of landslide, mudslide and rockfall is similar. railway, particularly in the buffer zone. On average the line has been affected by 21 significant incidents of this type a year since 1996. There are great differences from year to year, and there is no statistical 5. PROTECTION, CONSERVATION AND link with the abundance of rainfall or snowfall as other MANAGEMENT reasons are involved (freezing-unfreezing, role of vegetation, etc.). Boundaries of the nominated property and buffer zone

These climatic and geological causes give rise to around The nominated property zone consists of a long strip a hundred interruptions of service a year, which are 8 metres wide along the 96.6 km alignment of the track. generally not serious. The most significant may affect the Variations in the nominated property zone from this very structure of the track, moving it or carrying it away, standard strip occur in the case of viaducts and tunnels, which may necessitate substantial track repair work. and some specific local situations, in stations in particular. Considerable efforts have been made over a number of years by Indian Railways, which has a specialised The nominated area also includes all 21 stations (See 2 - Research, Design & Standards Organisation whose role is Description), together with a bungalow (Station 1 - to obtain a better understanding of the effects of rain and Kalka), a rest house for company employees (Station 12 - the causes of landslides in mountain areas. This work has Solagra) and two other rest houses (Station 20 - Shimla). led to recommendations concerning preventive measures: drains, tree planting, check dams, reinforcement of The buffer zone around the line corresponds to two strips, retaining walls, preventive removal of overhang, etc.). each about 4 metres wide, on either side of the nominated property zone. The width of this zone is reduced on the The effects of climate change could lead to increased parts of the line with the steepest gradient (retaining precipitation and landslides affecting the line. This has walls, ravines), and may be reduced to the width of the not however been reflected in the statistics gathered by civil engineering structures only (bridges, tunnels). the KSR up to now, whose dominant feature remains the high degree of annual variability. Following the ICOMOS request, a list of stations and detailed plans of the station buffer zones have been supplied.

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ICOMOS considers that the boundaries of the property Office in and at the Divisional Office in and its buffer zone are adequate. Ambala.

Indian Railways has a central research department that Ownership considers climatic and geological effects with an impact on mountain lines (RDSO). It recommends protective The owner of the nominated property is the Railway action, particularly to prevent landslides. Ministry of the Indian Government. Ownership covers the railway infrastructures, land and real property of the Present state of conservation Kalka Shimla Railway line; it also covers the railway rolling stock operating on the line. The Kalka Shimla Railway has been in service continuously from its inception. It is in a good state of general conservation, and is permanently monitored. It is Protection maintained on a regular and permanent basis by the KSR's teams of professionals. Legal Protection Active conservation measures All the laws of the Indian Union relating to railways apply to the Kalka-Shima line, in particular: The traditional arrangements for track maintenance by railway personnel are considered satisfactory to ensure - the Railway Act (1989), for technical protection the present and future conservation of the line. measures. - the Public Premises Act (1971). This includes in ICOMOS considers that the Kalka Shimla Railway is in a particular the right to expel unauthorised occupants by satisfactory state of conservation, and that it is able to officers entrusted with this task by the Indian Railway guarantee that this conservation will be continuously Ministry. maintained in the future.

Buffer zone: Management The buffer zone is legally a public place, under the authority of the Railway Ministry, which is responsible Management structures and processes, including for applying the provisions of the law there, particularly traditional management processes the Public Premises Act. The management structures involved are public, under ICOMOS considers that this provision should enable the higher authority of the Indian Ministry of Railways in measures to prevent illegal human occupancy in the New Delhi. They are as follows in hierarchical order: buffer zone. However this is the only protection aspect really taken into account by the buffer zone, in view of its - Northern Railway Department, New Delhi, (General narrowness (see Boundaries). Manager). - Indian Railways Regional Division Office, Ambala. Effectiveness of protection measures (Divisional Rail Manager). - Specialised departments, Ambala (Branch Officers): It seems that legal protection should be primarily directed towards unauthorised use of railway land, from two 1) non-technical departments: commercial traffic, viewpoints: accounting, medical, shops, personnel, security, 2) technical departments: civil engineering, - to rectify existing encroachments, mechanical engineering, electricity, signalling- - to prevent new encroachments. communications.

ICOMOS considers that the legal protection in place is - The organisation of the line into local districts at Kalka, appropriate and that the Ministry of Railways is making Barog, Salogra and Shimla (depots, stations, rest houses efforts to apply the legal provisions against unauthorised for personnel). occupation of land. Such occupations must be fully - Private specialist works companies. controlled both with regard to the nominated property and its buffer zone. Technical management process:

The operation and maintenance of the KSR, like that of Conservation the Darjeeling and Nilgiri railways, are fully operational. Track, traction and passenger service are carried out in Inventories, recording, research regular conditions that are in line with the original arrangements. The railway has a large number of The Kalka Shimla Railway has the technical documents competent staff, in the various fields of maintaining and necessary for the maintenance of track, infrastructure, repairing the track and rolling stock. rolling stock and stations; they are kept at the depots of the terminus stations of Kalka and Shimla. The The rest houses have their own cleaning personnel. documents concerning land ownership are at the Central Land management process: See Protection.

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Policy framework: management plans and arrangements, guarantees for the conservation of the property's including visitor management and presentation outstanding universal value.

The following plans apply to the KSR: ICOMOS considers however that the architectural management of the station buildings and their annexes, to - The land plan of the railway. ensure respect for the property's outstanding universal - The railway management plan, comprising: value, has not been sufficiently taken into account, and that a medium-term project should be drawn up for this - the rolling stock programme, purpose. - the works programme, - the machines and workshops programme. ICOMOS considers that the technical measures for the railway line management are satisfactory, but that the For several years now efforts have been made to management plan should be substantially improved in encourage tourism, by the organisation of special steam- terms of architectural conservation, and by involving the driven tourist trains, and motor rail cars with panoramic territorial authorities. windows. The station of Shimla and the main stations on the line have been improved by passenger reception facilities, and upgraded passenger facilities, cafeterias, 6. MONITORING etc. Interconnections are organised with trains arriving at Kalka from Delhi, on the basis of a one-day journey. Monitoring is organised by the departments of the line, under the responsibility of the engineers, technicians and Since 2004 and the introduction of this programme, the employees of the KSR. number of Indian people visiting Shimla has strongly increased, and the number of foreigners has become quite The following indexes reflect both the functioning of the significant. Shimla is a highly popular tourist destination line and the conservation of its value. They have been in India. place for 10 years, and the average figures are as follows:

Involvement of local communities - number of days of interruption of through traffic for technical reasons (15.5 per year), In institutional terms, they seem limited to a few - number of days of cancellation for technical consultations with municipal authorities on land organisational reasons (0), issues. There is no organic cooperation. - number of derailments (2.1), - number of land slips affecting train running Local cooperation in relation to tourism is beginning to (20.8), appear. - number of unauthorised encroachment cases (2.1). Contacts with the local population are through commercial transport relationships, in the traditional way. Taken as a whole, these results constitute a monitoring charter for KSR personnel. ICOMOS considers that the management system should be extended to include the territorial authorities of the Infrastructures (rails, bridges, tunnels, retaining walls) are areas in which the line is situated, so as to improve: regularly inspected by the engineering sections concerned: - matters relating to buffer zone management, - the process of raising awareness among - track engineers, visitors and tourists of the heritage value of the - bridge engineers, property and its landscapes. - works engineers.

Resources, including staffing levels, expertise and They issue reports and make recommendations about training works to be carried out.

At the time of nomination, the KSR had a total workforce The divisional engineer and the assistant divisional of 2,401 people. engineer regularly carry out monitoring inspections.

Financial management represents a high cost, exceeding The rolling stock is regularly monitored in the depots at the strict self-financing capacities of transport receipts on Kalka and Shimla by the mechanical engineering the line. Financial resources are guaranteed by the Indian department. consolidated fund, as part of the annual budget allocated by the Parliament to the Ministry of Railways. ICOMOS considers that there is a lack of specific technical and architectural monitoring of the stations and Capital expenditure and depreciation are allocated on the annexes forming part of the nominated property, and that basis of the three railway management plan programmes. this should be added to the plan for the management and monitoring of the property. ICOMOS considers that the technical management system of the railway line operates adequately, and that from this fundamental viewpoint it provides full

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ICOMOS considers that the technical monitoring indexes Indian mountains. It is emblematic of the technical and and the structures responsible for technical monitoring material efforts of human societies of this period to are satisfactory for the conservation of the property and disenclave mountain populations through the railway. It the expression of its universal value, but that indexes and is a well-maintained living line. It is used in a spirit and structures should be created for the purpose of for purposes that are the same as those of its inception. architectural monitoring of the buildings. The property has been very satisfactorily maintained since its inception, both with regard to the general state of 7. CONCLUSIONS infrastructure conservation and operation. The long continuity of maintenance and of uses for local ICOMOS considers that the universal value of the Kalka passengers, goods and tourism, for more than one Shimla Railway is justified, with a view to extending the hundred years, is an important factor in the line's inscription of the Indian Mountain Railways of authenticity. Darjeeling and Nilgiri. Its management plan is adequate to ensure the conservation of its outstanding universal The legal protection in place is adequate. The public value. management of the line and its many employees are a guarantee of the conservation of its integrity and authenticity over the coming years, enabling a lasting Recommendations with respect to inscription expression of its heritage values. The management plan presented however lacks a programme for the ICOMOS recommends that the extension of the Indian conservation of the stations and annexes. Mountain Railways to include the Kalka Shimla Railway on the World Heritage List should be approved on the ICOMOS recommends that the State Party give basis of criteria (ii) and (iv). consideration to the following:

Recommended Statement of Outstanding Universal Value • In the framework of the management plan, drawing up a detailed technical and architectural The Kalka Shimla Railway has outstanding universal inventory of the stations and annex buildings value: included in the property, indicating their state of conservation and the planned programme of • It represents an exceptional technical works, to ensure respect for the property's achievement in the development of the outstanding universal value. Himalayan mountains because of its length, its altitude and the difficulty of the terrain through • Stepping up control of encroachment on land in which it runs in difficult tropical climatic the nominated property zone and in the buffer conditions. zone.

• It was designed under British colonial rule, as • Considering, as part of the management plan, Shimla was the government's summer capital. more extensive local cooperation, in order to Furthermore, the Indian population quickly made more fully present the property's outstanding use of the railway to settle in the mountains and universal value and to organise visitor set up enduring human communities. The arrangements with this in mind. effectiveness of rail transport, which considerably reduced the duration and difficulty of travel, was an essential factor in this social and cultural development.

• The Kalka Shimla Railway has seen its traction regularly upgraded, in a spirit of use in keeping with its origins, while its infrastructures have been maintained in very good condition, by ongoing maintenance and repair work, which has been both exemplary and in line with the railway's authenticity.

Criterion (ii): The Kalka Shimla Railway exhibits an important cultural and technology transfer in the colonial setting of the period of its construction, particularly with regard to the eminently political function of the terminus station, Shimla. The railway then enabled significant and enduring human settlement, of which it has remained the main vector up to the present day.

Criterion (iv): The Kalka Shimla Railway is an outstanding example, like the other two Indian railways already inscribed on the World Heritage List, of how access has been provided to the plains and plateaux of the

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The railway line from Kalka to Shimla

Twisting track on the hill

Shimla railway station

Bridge

Carriage